After Victory
by Darth Tromeros
Summary: Han and Leia have a deep discussion after the victory over the Empire.


The celebration out in the distance didn't disturb the grassy spot where Han sat, Leia laying her head on his shoulder. "Is it bad we're out here alone?" Leia inquired, lifting her head to see Han's face. He glanced down at her, and then back towards the sky.

"It really depends on what we do, I guess."

"And what do you mean by that?"

Han shrugged. "I dunno'. We could make a pact to never see each other again, which could restore our everyday lives back or destroy our relationship, or fall in love which could give us either happiness or heartbreak."

Leia's head swam. "I have a few… questions about that comment."

Han's eyes shifted towards her. "Shoot."

She tried her best not to blurt them all out at once. "What do you mean by 'relationship'?"

Han paused for a very brief moment; one quick enough where he had an answer that popped up when she said "relationship", but also one long enough that shows that he wasn't sure if it was good enough for her—maybe even her emotions.

If he even cared. Leia stared at Han emotionlessly, even though inside she tried to calm herself down. Maybe there was no relationship. Serious ones, that is. She shouldn't have been foolish enough to dream of her and Han together every moment she was with him after their first kiss; but at the same time, she couldn't help it. He was so _cocky_, so _tough_, so—she guessed—_bad, _that he was perfect.

"I meant friendship. Almost frien-imies," Han said slowly. Leia couldn't stop her heart from sinking a little. She thought _maybe _there was something, after he had told her he loved her—

But he was Han Solo, an egotistical man dripping in sarcasm. That could've just been one of his "brilliant" moments, or just the pressure of what was going on. "Pressured" hardly seemed the word for Han, though. He usually kept cool. He definitely had a temper, yes, but he never panicked.

Then Leia realized there was one more question that contradicted his whole explanation on the relationship part. Her heart speeding up, she asked him with a dry mouth, "Then what was the 'falling in love part' all about?"

Leia swore she saw him blush. He stayed silent for an awful long time, the Ewoks chanting in the distance. Chewbacca's laughing growl echoed in the night, dozens of fire illuminating a starry sky above. Leia glanced anxiously over from where they came. Luckily, Luke and Lando and the others hadn't seemed to notice their absence; if they had, they obviously weren't too concerned.

Han sighed. "I guess we aren't frien-imies. But I don't think of us as friends, either."

"Then what do you think of us as?" Leia asked, trying to hide the eagerness in her tone.

"Well… I don't know."

Leia bit her lip, debating whether or not to ask her next question. "Are—are you afraid of… commitment?" Her voice was barely audible.

Instead of getting in an oh-so famous Han Solo mood, he merely stared at the stars again. "Leia, right now… I'm not so sure."

At least he's being honest. Leia exhaled, and then continued on, "When you said you loved me, did you mean it?"

"At what time?" he asked absent-mindedly.

"When I was shot. You haven't told me anytime else."

Now it was Han's turn to think about what he was going to say next. The truth was that he loved Leia, but he didn't want to admit it. Han Solo wasn't a man of promise; after all, look at his past with Jabba. He couldn't promise Leia that. But if he didn't, he would break her heart. And if he did, he would break her heart again because he broke the promise.

If Han truly loved her, though, he wouldn't break a promise of love.

But at the same time, if she didn't love him as much as he loved her, saying no to loving her wouldn't hurt her as bad as it would hurt him.

He _wanted _to tell her he did love her, but if she didn't, like she might not, that could just ruin their whole relationship. It would be awkward after that. Han knew she wasn't a woman who would do such a thing, nor would be such a man to worry about such a thing, but there are always firsts.

Like right now, when he was thinking about what would happen if he told her he loved her.

After all they've been through….

He shook the thought out of his head. The thought was way off topic; she merely said that when she got shot was the only time that he had told her he loved her.

"You don't count the carbonite scene as one of those times."

"I'm not sure. You never really told me if you did or not."

"Not what?"

"Love me, of course."

Han took a breath. She was captivating; he couldn't lose her. He just _had _to flatter her somehow. If she didn't love him, he would let her go; at least in the misery of loosing her, she would be happy.

Han scolded himself for being pessimistic. Like he thought before, after all they've been through, she _had _genuinely mean that she loved him after he was put in the carbon freeze, and she had joked back to him after he told her he loved her when she was shot the same egotistic line he had told her: "I know."

He had to tell her. "Well, count the carbon freeze chamber moment as one of those times."

Leia smiled kindly. "Okay then, you told me you loved me two times. Were you honest?"

Han's mouth went dry. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't be inquiring him so much; their four kisses wouldn't have been as passionate.

The carbon freeze chamber.

That's where it all came down too.

She admitted from the bottom of her heart that she loved Han, in the face of his doom, and now it was his time to tell her back, with no humorous air to it.

He turned to stare into her soft, round, sparkling brown eyes. "Leia, I want to be… honest and true with you. I genuinely, with all my heart, love you."

Leia's eyes welled up. Han was never this deep. He was always the pompous, self-conceited scoundrel that wasn't scared of anything. If he could admit that with a straight face, it had to be real.

She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, burying her head into his arm. He took the offer and embraced her, wrapping his arms around her back.

That's all they did. They sat there in silence, Leia's eyes closed and tears streaming down her cheeks, Han vacantly staring over at the spot where the Ewoks were drumming and dancing.

"At least we don't have to deal with those Imperial slugs for a while," Han said randomly.

"Just some peace and quiet."

"But they'll be back all right."

"Right now, though, I don't want to go stay anywhere but in your arms."

Han smiled, and once again only the Ewoks were heard.

"Maybe we should be getting back," Leia muttered finally.

"Why?"

"Luke and Lando and Chewie and the others must be missing us."

"Are you kidding? They're not missing us; we're going to be sticking around with them for a long time."

And there they sat, wrapped in each others arms, undisturbed underneath the starry sky.


End file.
